Acts 16 31

Acts 16:31 kjv

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Acts 16:31 nkjv

So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Acts 16:31 niv

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved?you and your household."

Acts 16:31 esv

And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Acts 16:31 nlt

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household."

Acts 16 verses

Acts 16 31 Meaning

Acts 16:31 presents a concise and fundamental answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul and Silas declare that salvation—comprehensive deliverance from sin's power and penalty, spiritual healing, and ultimate eternal life—is attained solely through believing in Jesus as Lord. This transformative act of trust and allegiance grants personal salvation and extends the promise and opportunity for salvation to one's entire household, upon their individual faith.

Acts 16 31 Context

Acts chapter 16 unfolds Paul's second missionary journey, leading him to Philippi, a significant Roman colony. After converting Lydia, Paul and Silas encounter a slave girl with a spirit of divination, whom Paul frees. Enraged by the loss of their exploitative income, her masters incite a mob against Paul and Silas. They are severely beaten without trial, publicly humiliated, and thrown into prison with their feet fastened in stocks.

Around midnight, Paul and Silas, despite their suffering, are praying and singing hymns. An earthquake then shakes the prison, opening all the doors and loosening everyone's bonds. The jailer, awakening and seeing the prison doors open, assumes the prisoners have escaped. Fearing the severe Roman punishment for such an event, he draws his sword to kill himself. Paul shouts, urging him not to harm himself, assuring him all the prisoners are still there. Overwhelmed by this divine intervention and Paul's compassion, the jailer falls before them, trembling, and asks the most critical question: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). Acts 16:31 is the direct and profound answer to this desperate cry. Immediately following this verse, Paul and Silas proclaim the word of the Lord to the jailer and his entire household, who all believe, are baptized, and celebrate with the apostles.

Acts 16 31 Word analysis

• They replied (Εἶπον δὲ - Eipon de): This introduces the authoritative and direct answer from Paul and Silas to the jailer's urgent question. It indicates a clear, simple declaration of truth.
• "Believe" (Πίστευσον - pisteuson): This is an aorist active imperative verb. It signifies a decisive, singular act of commitment and trust, not a continuous process or intellectual agreement alone. Pisteuō in Greek means to have faith in, to rely upon, to put one's full trust in, encompassing intellectual acceptance, emotional reliance, and volitional commitment. It's not just acknowledging Jesus exists but entrusting oneself to Him.
• "in the Lord" (ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον - epi ton Kyrion): The preposition epi here emphasizes resting or depending upon the Lord. Kyrios is a highly significant title. In the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), Kyrios translates the divine name YHWH. By calling Jesus "Lord," Paul and Silas were attributing to Him divine authority and absolute sovereignty, demanding total allegiance. This was a radical confession in the Roman Empire, where Caesar was hailed as Kyrios. To confess Jesus as Kyrios meant submitting one's life to Him as master and deity.
• "Jesus" (Ἰησοῦν - Iēsoun): This is the personal, human name of Christ, meaning "YHWH saves." It identifies the specific person of Nazareth as the divine Lord, emphasizing His humanity and historical work alongside His deity. "Lord Jesus" links divine authority with the specific, saving work of God incarnate.
• "and you will be saved" (σωθήσῃ - sōthēsē): This is a future passive indicative verb. It is a divine promise and assurance. Sōzō means to deliver, to preserve, to make whole, or to rescue from danger, death, or judgment. Spiritually, it implies rescue from the penalty, power, and ultimately, the presence of sin. The passive voice highlights that salvation is God's work, received by faith, not achieved by human effort. It implies not just eternal rescue but present spiritual deliverance and transformation.
• "you and your household" (σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου - sy kai ho oikos sou): Oikos (household) in this cultural context referred to the entire domestic unit: immediate family, extended relatives living together, and servants/dependents. This statement implies that the opportunity for salvation and the blessing of the gospel would extend to the entire family. It does not mean automatic salvation for them by virtue of the head's faith, but rather that the message of salvation would be offered to and affect the entire household, requiring each member's personal faith, as indicated in the subsequent verses (Acts 16:32, "they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house," and v. 34, "he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God").

Words-group analysis:

• "Believe in the Lord Jesus": This is the heart of the evangelical message. It emphasizes a faith that is not mere intellectual assent but a profound, personal trust and commitment to Jesus as the sovereign Master and Savior. This act of faith transcends cultural rituals, legalistic requirements, or philosophical inquiries, pointing directly to a relationship with the divine Person.
• "and you will be saved": This phrase directly addresses the jailer's desperate plea. It offers a certain and complete rescue. The future tense denotes a promised outcome, entirely dependent on the prior act of believing. It encompasses holistic salvation, covering past forgiveness, present spiritual vitality, and future eternal glory.
• "you and your household": This extends the scope of God's redemptive purpose beyond the individual believer to their immediate social unit. It underscores the communal impact of conversion and often indicates God's method of propagating the gospel by initiating it through a household head, opening the door for others within that sphere of influence to hear and respond to the good news.

Acts 16 31 Bonus section

This verse not only presents the essence of salvation but also reveals an implicit polemic against prevalent beliefs of the time. It directly challenged Roman religious practices which involved sacrifices to various gods or emperor worship for state stability and personal welfare. It also stood in contrast to Jewish legalism that emphasized works of the law for righteousness. Instead, the gospel offered salvation by faith in one specific individual, Jesus, acknowledged as Kyrios – a revolutionary and often confrontational claim. The immediate, whole-hearted response of the jailer and his household, including their swift baptism and fellowship, highlights the urgency and completeness of the transformation brought by this simple yet profound message. It serves as a reminder that God often uses ordinary individuals (like a tormented jailer) to spread the good news, initiating change from the family unit outward.

Acts 16 31 Commentary

Acts 16:31 stands as one of the most powerful and succinct articulations of the gospel message in the New Testament. In response to a man facing utter despair and a desperate search for ultimate rescue, Paul and Silas cut through all complexities and offer a single, profound answer: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." This declaration fundamentally reorients salvation away from human effort, ritual, or lineage, towards a relational trust in Jesus. The term "Lord" is crucial, signifying a full surrender to Jesus' divine authority and lordship, not just acknowledging Him as a good teacher. This active, committed faith—not a passive acceptance—is the divinely ordained means by which one is rescued from sin and its eternal consequences. The promise extends to "your household," illustrating the far-reaching influence of an individual's conversion and the potential for an entire domestic unit to embrace Christ. This, however, is not a guarantee of automatic salvation for family members but an invitation and opportunity, fulfilled when each household member personally believes. This verse continues to be a primary message for evangelism, pointing seekers directly to Christ as the sole means of salvation.